Soy-Braised Pork with Turnips

When I was a kid, I truly disliked most fall/winter vegetables—beets, rutabagas and turnips, butternut and acorn squashes.  Bleh!  Somewhere in adulthood my tastes have changed.  Now I enjoy these and often crave them.  Last week was such a time.  I bought a nice big turnip at the market and, realizing I had some boneless pork ribs in the freezer, I set out to find a recipe to combine the two ingredients into a fall stew of sorts.  I found lots of interesting things on the internet—

• Peasant Turnip Soup (a nice article about making a simple soup)
• Mark Bittman’s Braised Pork with Turnips (the Minimalist from the NY Times)
• Two Moroccan inspired dishes—(1) a Slow Cooker Moroccan Pork Stew with bell pepper, apricots, and raisins and (2) a vegetarian Root Vegetable Tagine with chickpeas, olives, mint, and lemon that could only get better with pork added.

Soy Braised Pork as pictured on the Bon Appetit website

Then I found this one on the Bon Appetit website.  It mingles the flavors of soy, anise, sherry, ginger and orange.  Doesn't the picture make your mouth water?  Of course, mine did not come out nearly so chic-looking.  

I made numerous changes (as noted below) to accommodate my pantry and decided to cook it in my pressure cooker to save time and guarantee extra-tender meat.  The result was a tender pork stew with a subtle Asian flavored sauce and sweet turnips, which I served over brown rice.  Jim and I really liked it.  The boys ate it with no complaints, along with a side of homemade applesauce to cut the bit of heat in the dish.  I will definitely make this again.

Soy-Infused Pork with Carrots and Turnips

Bon Appetit, October 2010

1/2 cup low-salt chicken broth

3 Tbs. dry Sherry

(I used 2 Tbs. dry white wine and 1 Tbs. brandy)

3 Tbs. soy sauce

1 Tbs. (packed) brown sugar

1 tsp. hot chili paste, such as sambal oelek

 (I used Vietnamese Chili Garlic Paste)

2 1/2 lbs. boneless pork shoulder, cut into 5x1 1/2" strips (boneless country-style pork ribs)

2 tablespoons peanut oil

1 medium onion, chopped

4 green onions; white and pale green parts finely chopped, green parts thinly sliced 

             (I left these out)

3 garlic cloves, chopped

1 1/2 tablespoons minced peeled fresh ginger

3 whole star anise

(I used ¾ tsp. of 5 spice powder)

3 long strips orange peel removed from orange with vegetable peeler

(I added 1/3 cup of OJ)

3/4 pound carrots, peeled, cut into 1-inch pieces

(I used sweet potatoes)

3/4 pound turnips, peeled, cut into 1-inch pieces

Steamed white rice

(I used brown)

Whisk chicken broth, Sherry, soy sauce, brown sugar, and hot chili paste in small bowl to blend; set aside. Sprinkle ribs with salt and pepper. Heat peanut oil in heavy large deep skillet over medium-high heat. Working in batches, cook ribs until browned, about 4 minutes per side. Transfer ribs to plate.

Reduce heat to medium. Add chopped onion to skillet and sauté until soft, about 4 minutes. Add white parts of green onions, garlic, and ginger; sauté until fragrant, about 2 minutes. Add chicken broth mixture, stirring to scrape up any browned bits. Add star anise and orange peel; bring to simmer.

Return ribs to same skillet. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer 30 minutes. Add carrots and turnips to skillet, pushing to submerge in sauce. Cover and simmer until vegetables and ribs are tender, gently stirring mixture occasionally, about 30 minutes longer. Transfer mixture to platter. Serve with steamed rice.

MY NOTE: I cooked the meat for 20 minutes in the pressure cooker, added the veggies and cooked another 5-7.  Before serving, I reduced the sauce by about half and added a pinch more brown sugar and soy.